In his first-ever interview, the sole Australian survivor of the Waco siege has revealed to 60 Minutes what really took place during the 51-day stand-off, and why he believes crazed cult leader David Koresh will one day return to Earth as the son of God.

Facebook employs AI to find users at risk of suicide

Facebook will use artificial intelligence to pick up on warnings sings that its users may be at risk of taking their own life.

A program has been rolled out in the US that will review Facebook and its Messenger service to see if its users are talking about being unhappy or if friends have started expressing concern about their wellbeing.

When the new algorithm identifies someone speaking about sadness and pain, or their friends say things like "I am worried about you", a Facebook team member will review the content and suggest ways they can seek help.

Previously friends would have had to report a person's activity as concerning to Facebook before it would offer advice or contact details for mental health support groups.

Founder Mark Zuckerberg said he hopes the AI program will soon be used to identify and stamp out bullying, violent threats and terror activity on the platform.

The Facebook Live feature has also been upgraded after a 14-year-old girl streamed her suicide in January.

There were calls for Facebook to cut streaming if someone started talking about suicide, however mental health experts said this could block an opportunity for friends to reach out to a person in distress.

Related Articles

Instead, Facebook will instantly display different options for the user to get support from mental health services.

Some mental health groups have called for Facebook to do more to help those at risk, like flag distressing content with family or friends however the social media platform is conscious of violating its users’ privacy, particularly when they do not know their personal circumstances.

"We're sensitive to privacy and I think we don't always know the personal dynamics between people and their friends in that way, so we're trying to do something that offers support and options," Vanessa Callison-Burch from Facebook told BBC.

The system is expected to be rolled out worldwide but there is no word on when it may reach Australia.

Suicide remains the leading cause of death for Australians aged between 15 and 44, according to Lifeline.